Sunday, March 10, 2013

What ‘Experience’ Taught the Prodigal Son



(Fourth Sunday of Lent (C):  This homily was given on March 10, 2013 at St. Pius X Church, Westerly, R.I., by Fr. Raymond Suriani.  Read Luke 15: 1-3, 11-32.)

[For the audio version of this homily, click here: Fourth Sunday of Lent 2013]
 
 

They say that experience is the best teacher.

Well that’s certainly the way it was for the prodigal son.  This boy learned a lot—about himself, about his family, and about life in general—through the experiences that he had between the time he left home with his inheritance and the time he returned home without it.

He learned, first of all, that no sins are unforgivable!  And that was a crucial lesson for him to learn, because I don’t think he believed his sins could be forgiven!  Now that’s somewhat understandable, because in leaving as he did, he knew that he had decisively cut himself off from his father and from his family.  Notice that the passage says that this boy took “all his belongings.”  He took them all because he never intended to go back!  And that’s why his dad said he was “dead”.  He wasn’t physically dead; he was spiritually dead! 

In theological terms, he had committed a mortal sin.  (Actually, from the way the story is told, it seems that he had committed a number of mortal sins!)  Remember what a mortal sin is: it’s one that cuts us off from God the Father and from the sanctifying grace that comes to us through our spiritual family, the Church.  Or, as the Catechism puts it: “Mortal sin destroys charity in the heart of man by a grave violation of God’s law; it turns man away from God, who is his ultimate end and his beatitude, by preferring an inferior good to him.”  (CCC, 1855)

The prodigal son didn’t think he could be forgiven for his many mortal sins; he just hoped that he could be “tolerated” by his father for what he had done.  But he soon learned that his father’s mercy was greater than all the evils he had committed.

Hopefully we learn that very same lesson every time we go to Confession.  On that note, when was the last time you went?  Thankfully, there’s still time to go during this season of Lent.

It’s important to mention Confession in this context because another thing the prodigal son learned by experience was that reconciliation with his dad wasn’t automatic.  It wasn’t something that was “just  going to happen”.  After breaking his relationship with his father, he realized that he needed to do something to repair the damage: specifically, he needed to go to his dad and verbally acknowledge his guilt—which he did: “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.”

Well that’s precisely what we do in Confession, is it not?  We go to our heavenly Father, through the priest, and verbally acknowledge the evil we have done, as well as the good we have failed to do (in other words, our sins of commission and our sins of omission).

In the experience of going to his dad and verbalizing his guilt, the prodigal son learned yet another lesson: He learned that his father was looking for a reason not to give him what he deserved!  This boy knew he deserved punishment—severe punishment; he knew that he deserved to be permanently excluded from the family (“Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.  I no longer deserve to be called your son.”)

The father, thankfully, ignored that last remark and welcomed his wayward son home. 

By showing sincere repentance and acknowledging his sin, the prodigal son gave his dad a reason—a great reason—not to give him what he deserved.

Which, as we heard a few moments ago, greatly upset his older brother!  I find it very interesting, the father in this story (who obviously represents God the Father) looks for a reason not to give his prodigal son what he deserves, whereas it’s pretty clear that the older boy wants to see his prodigal brother get exactly what he deserves (and perhaps a little extra as well!).

That fact says a lot about the difference between God and us.  I think most people, in similar circumstances, would feel like that older son felt.

In addition to all the lessons he learned about repentance, mercy and forgiveness, the prodigal son also learned a few other things.  For example, he learned, through his experience, that sometimes suffering can be a blessing in disguise!  Think about it: if he had not spent all that time with Porky Pig and his friends in that filthy pig sty, he probably would never have re-established his relationship with his dad!  In all likelihood, the two would have remained disconnected for the rest of their lives.  But his suffering woke him up, and motivated him to go back to his father in a spirit of sincere repentance.  And that was a great blessing.

I encourage you to try to think of that the next time you experience a terrible suffering in your life: it can be the source of some very special graces.

THE PRODIGAL SON also learned to be grateful.  He learned to be grateful for the many blessings he had enjoyed in his father’s house—blessings that he had obviously taken for granted earlier in his life.  In fact, that’s one of the reasons he left his dad in the first place: he didn’t realize he had it so good!

SO OBVIOUSLY HE ALSO LEARNED THE IMPORTANCE OF FAMILY; HE LEARNED THAT PEOPLE ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN THINGS; HE LEARNED THAT HE COULD NOW CHANGE HIS LIFE AND BECOME A HOLY AND MERCIFUL PERSON (he learned that from the great example of his dad); AND HE LEARNED ABOUT THE DESTRUCTIVE POWER OF PRIDE AND ANGER (he received that lesson, unfortunately, from the very bad example of his older brother).

Of course, it’s one thing to learn all this from your past experience; it’s quite another thing to apply it in the present moment for the sake of your future!  I pray today that the prodigal son did both: that he learned these lessons by his experience of sin and repentance, and that he then allowed these lessons to have a positive impact on him for the rest of his life.

If he did, then he certainly became a saint—and in that he becomes a great example for all of us to try to follow.